Who Red Sox Already Know Will Be on 2026 Opening Day Roster

Opening day is a holiday in Boston Red Sox circles, and on March 26, a team with high expectations will take the field for the first time on the road against the Cincinnati Reds.

With under a month to go in spring training, there are some Red Sox players who still have to fight to earn their spots on the team plane to Ohio. However, this article is about the guys who have nothing to worry about, for whom the next four weeks are all about fine-tuning.

If a player made this list, it means they've only got to make sure they stay healthy to earn their spots on the 26-man roster. And by the end of the list, we'll have a better picture of who's fighting for what.

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Outfielders (4): Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu

We'll tackle the outfield first, because there's practically no uncertainty. Unless, that is, we count designated hitter Masataka Yoshida, who might play one or two games at most in the outfield all season.

Yoshida, in theory, could still be traded if the Red Sox find a team willing to pay down a decent chunk of his contract. But on most days, all four of Anthony, Rafaela, Duran, and Abreu will be in the lineup.

Infielders (4): Trevor Story, Caleb Durbin, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Willson Contreras

The major question of late has been whether Marcelo Mayer really still has to "earn" his spot, as manager Alex Cora alluded to last week. After Mayer homered in his spring debut on Friday, it feels like his odds are definitely above 90%, but out of an abundance of caution, we'll keep him off this list.

Andruw Monasterio, Nate Eaton, Nick Sogard, and the injured Brendan Rodgers could all be in the mix for the final spot on the bench.

Catchers (2): Carlos Narváez, Connor Wong

Nothing we've seen so far in camp gives us any reason to believe Wong is in danger of losing his spot to waiver pickup Mickey Gasper or non-roster invites Jason Delay and Matt Thaiss.

Starting pitchers (4): Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, Brayan Bello

The Red Sox expect their rotation to be one of their strengths, and it's largely because of these four. But the battle for the fifth spot is a major storyline to watch as well.

Johan Oviedo was all over the map in his first spring start, so while he remains the likeliest No. 5 to open the season, we can't lose sight of Connelly Early and Payton Tolle.

Relievers (5): Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert, Jovani Morán

Morán is our boldest call here, because he only threw two games for the Red Sox last season. But the fact that no other lefty besides Chapman has joined the club all season gives the impression that the Red Sox really do believe Morán can have a big year now that he's built back up from Tommy John surgery.

Meanwhile, we've got Zack Kelly at a high probability of making the cut (but with an option in hand), Rule 5 pickup Ryan Watson fighting to stay in the organization, starters Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval who could kick to the pen, and non-roster invites Kyle Keller, Seth Martinez, Tayron Guerrero, Noah Song, and Alec Gamboa to keep an eye on.